Seagrass resources worldwide have been declining, which could lead to changes in nearshore ecosystem structure and function. Seagrasses play an important ecological role in nearshore coastal ecosystems—they provide food and shelter for a diverse array of fishes and invertebrates and are also an important source of food for over-wintering waterfowl. Seagrasses baffle wave and current energy, increase sediment deposition, and stabilize bottom sediments, thereby improving water quality. While speculation on the effects of dredging on seagrass beds is plentiful, empirical data documenting these effects are not. Potential effects may be direct (e.g. physical removal of vegetation from dredging) or indirect (e.g. seagrass stress due to reduced light caused by dredging-induced turbidity or burial of grasses from dredging-induced sedimentation). In an effort to bridge this data gap, ERDC’s Environmental Laboratory (ERDC–EL) is investigating interactions between dredging and seagrass distribution and cover under a 3-year research unit within the Dredging Operations and Environmental Research (DOER) Program. |
Description of Research